Novak Djokovic has refused to back down from claims he made in a magazine interview that he was “poisoned” by the food he ingested in Melbourne detention during his infamous visa saga three years ago.
Returning to Melbourne in pursuit of a record-extending 25th grand slam title, the former world No.1 has reignited the controversy that overshadowed the 2022 Australian Open when he was deported on the eve of the tournament.
Novak Djokovic stands by his hotel quarantine claims.Credit: AP
In a dramatic and emotionally charged lead-up to the event, the then Morrison federal government sent him packing from the country due to his stance on vaccination – a decision that was validated by a full bench of the Federal Court.
Djokovic had his visa cancelled following days of drama over Australia’s COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status. He was detained in a Melbourne hotel shared with asylum-seekers.
“I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic told GQ magazine in an interview published online.
“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal. I had the lead, [a] very high level of lead and mercury.”
During his mandatory pre-tournament media conference at Melbourne Park on Friday, Djokovic was asked what evidence he had linking his allegedly heavy metal blood levels to the food he was served in hotel detention.
But he would not elaborate.
“I’ve done that interview many months ago. I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that, as I would like to focus on the tennis and why I’m here,” Djokovic said.
“If you want to see what I’ve said, and get more info on that, you can always revert to the article.”
GQ said Australia’s Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy reasons.
Australian star Nick Kyrgios, who played doubles with Djokovic at the Brisbane International in a surprise pairing, repeated his view that he thought Australia had treated Djokovic shabbily.
Kyrgios, who is playing the Australian Open for the first time since 2022 after battling injuries for the best part of two years, said he had no knowledge of Djokovic’s poisoning claims.
“No, I haven’t spoken to him – I didn’t even know that,” Kyrgios said.
“We treated him like shit, that’s for sure.”
In the magazine interview, Djokovic claimed the decision to deport him was never because of his vaccination status, but rather the politics behind letting an unvaccinated individual into the country during a period of lockdown restrictions.
“It was so political,” Djokovic told GQ. “It had nothing really to do with vaccine or COVID or anything else. It’s just political. The politicians could not stand me being there. For them, I think, it was less damage to deport me than to keep me there.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week lashed the Coalition for its handling of Djokovic’s immigration detention during the pandemic.
Then-immigration minister Alex Hawke denied Djokovic entry into the country for the Australian Open as he was not fully vaccinated, which the country required at the time. He was detained at the Park Hotel in Carlton for five days while he challenged the decision, before ultimately being sent home.
Albanese this week criticised the Morrison government’s decision to refuse him access to a religious minister while in detention.
“I found it astonishing that, in the lead-up to Christmas, Novak Djokovic was denied by the then-federal government the opportunity to see his Orthodox … priest,” Albanese said on Monday. “That was something that I think was hard to justify.”
Djokovic returned to Australia in 2023 when he won his 10th title at Melbourne Park – the venue where he won his first major aged 20 in 2008 and has achieved an astonishing 76-4 tournament record since 2011.
The Serbian was overcome with emotion when he won the title two years ago. On Friday he described that victory, along with his career breakthrough 17 years ago, as among his best Melbourne memories.
“I guess the first time is always the most special one,” Djokovic said.
“Winning 2008, my first slam here, overall first slam in my career and first slam here in Australia. “Then probably the last slam I won here in ’23.
“Each win is special and unique in its own way, so it’s kind of hard for me to pick. But if I have to, it’s probably the first and the last one.”
With Reuters
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